If 'Threat Signal' came to a club near you on their debut headlining tour, and you missed it, you are a frickin' idiot. They have a few shows left on the tour, so dudes... seriously. Go see 'em. If bands were stocks, I would buy a fuck load of 'Threat Signal' shares while they are cheap, 'cause these dudes are bound to be huge and then I would be rich.

I started jamming this band on my radio show about three weeks ago. They are produced by one of the 'Fear Factory' guys and while you can hear tinges of Fear Factory in their recordings, they are very much a different (and better) band. As I discovered last night, they are even better in person.

When the stage went dark and the intro began, you could see drummer's silohuette standing behind his kit as he flailed his arms to the intro's percussion. The front line players crept onto the stage and then unleashed hell when the lights came to life. Full blown headbanging on the stage and in the crowd began, and the singer launched out onto the stage. With a beer bottle in fist and looking as if he was about to crown someone, the vocalist let loose. He and his mates appeared to be more than happy to entertain the crowd of about 100 people. While the crowd was small, they were damn happy to see 'Threat Signal'. Through the night there was only a pit of maybe 6-10 people at any time, but they kept pounding eachother through every minute of the show, and at times it appeared that there was serious pain inflicted on anyone who dared enter.

The five piece Canadian band really tore it up from beginning to end. At the start of the show the singer, (who sported one of the most perfect mohawks I have ever seen) sounded a little horse and would occasionally drop out of tune, but oddly after about four songs both of these things seemed to disappear. I'm guessing that their tough tour schedule had worn out his pipes a bit. The thing that I was stunned about all night was that watching their vocalist was like watching a young and unspoiled Phil Anselmo. His stage presence was very much like you would have seen Phil on the Vulgar tour. It was somewhat refreshing to see that.

The music that the boys of 'Threat Signal' throw at you is incredibly complex for the likes of such young shredders. While the music was very heavy, they did a masterful job of threading in great melody and worked in many tempo shifts. Some people like to compare their sound to Fear Factory, (which on their album is true) they are nothing like Fear Factory live. The music felt very progressive and actually reminded me a lot of Nevermore when it came to the guitars. The axe duo were very competent and would occasionally rip out runs together in harmony. The lead guitarist, who is skinny and tall reminded me a lot of Jay (and Silent Bob) in the looks department. He was also very revved up and thrashed around a ton. His solos were fun to watch as he would contort his face and let his fingers fly. The solos were also complicated and interesting. The other guitar player which sported tidy dreadlocks, was laid back and seemed to be more the Clapton type. While he would rock the hell out at times, he seemed to be in a dreamy state. Taking it all in, so to speak. Both axe-slingers sported huge racks of pedals at their feet and I even caught one of em using an "E-Bow" during an interlude. Can't say I ever saw one of those used before. I wished they had swapped sides of the stage a little more to give the crowd a little variety, but I'm guessing that because they weren't using wireless, things could get messy if they did that too much.

"Threat Signal's rhythm section was very tight. The drummer was in control of the digital sequencer and sported a mammoth set of headphones, so I'm thinking that he was rockin' out to a click track, which is hard as hell to do live. The drummer also packed a ton of speed in his limbs but would only let it escape when it was called for. The bass player was a scrawny kid who reminded me a lot of a rubber Gumby doll, as if getting thrashed around by a toddler. This guy was forever whipping himself around, doing super-dee-dooper powersplits while headbanging. At some point he had to have smacked his mellon against the floor. You could have easily just watched him the whole show. He was entertaining as hell.

As seems to be common at Jaxx shows, the band came out and spent the night with the fans after the set signing stuff and taking photos with anyone who wanted them. Hell, the singer's girlfriend/wife was running around taking pictures with all the fans and helping out in any way she could. When I was talking to the band they were very friendly. I asked how they felt about playing for 100 people and they said they couldn't have been more pleased with the tour. They eluded to the fact that a headlining tour was more an experiment, just to see if they could pull it off. They were thrilled with the support of the American fans and admitted they weren't nearly as popular in Canada. You could tell that these kids were living their rock and roll dream, and i say more fuckin' power to 'em! As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw their cargo van and trailer parked out back and wished (as many metal fans and casual musicians do) that I could experience what these guys were feeling. Tell ya what... I betcha the next time they come around they won't be driving a van. These guys are gonna make it.

In the end they were a very skilled band that was shockingly good to watch and to top it all off, they were nice as hell. As a live band I rate them 9 out of 10. Once they get some road miles on 'em, these dudes are gonna be hard to fuckin' top.

In my next report I hope to give you the scoop on the 'Zakk Wylde & Black Label Society' show on March 21st. Stay tuned.

Go to the BGR gallery (CLICK HERE) and check out my pics from last night's the show.

BE SURE to check out our new friends at JAXX NIGHTCLUB! www.jaxxroxx.com

If you would like to attend a Jaxx show please let me know. I might be able to drag you along with me.

Comments Questions or Concerns? Hit me up! berube@braingell.com

And oh yeah...

Peace and Metal Grease!

berube